Turkey’s defeated coup bid marked across world

By Murat Demirci, Furkan Naci Top and Mehmet Hatipoglu

ISTANBUL (AA) – The second anniversary of the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey is being marked across the world with commemoration ceremonies.

A ceremony was held at Martyrs Monument in Lefkosa, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, with attendance of deputies including Mehmet Demirci, Turkey's Justice and Development (AK) Party TRNC representative, embassy officials and locals.

Derya Kanbay, Turkish ambassador in Lefkosa, urged people to be careful about dangerous organizations like Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). “We need to be cautious and on alert against dangerous betrayal networks," she said.

FETO orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

During a commemoration ceremony held at Turkey’s Athens Embassy, Yasar Halit Cevik, the ambassador, called on Greece to give necessary punishment to putschist Turkish soldiers, who escaped to Greece hours after the coup attempt.

A commemoration ceremony was also held at Turkey’s Consulate General in Komotini. A minute of silence was observed in remembrance of those who were martyred during the coup attempt.

Remembering Mustafa Cambaz, one of the martyrs of the coup attempt, who was born in Western Thrace, Consul General Murat Omeroglu said: “Mustafa Cambaz has been a symbol of resistance for people of Western Thrace.”

In Skopje, July 15 martyrs were commemorated in a ceremony held by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Yunus Emre Institue (YEE).

Speaking during the ceremony, Turkish Ambassador Tulin Erkal Kara praised Macedonia for giving support to the Turkish government in the wake of the coup attempt and its move to shut down FETO-linked media organizations, schools, and corporations.

A photo exhibition showing Anadolu Agency’s photos on the coup night opened as part of the ceremony.

Zagreb Embassy of Turkey also hosted a commemoration ceremony. A video on FETO’s coup attempt was shown during the program.

“FETO attacked civilians on the night of July 15. We will not forget martyrs and veterans, who fought for our democracy on that night,” Mustafa Babur Hizlan, Turkey’s ambassador to Zagreb, said during his speech.

In Balkan countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, ceremonies were also held.

Two-hundred-and-fifty trees were planted in the memory of July 15 martyrs in the southern Bosnian city of Mostar.

Zerrin Kandemir, consul general of Turkey in Mostar, thanked Bosnia and Herzegovina for showing solidarity with Turkey in the wake of the coup attempt, during the ceremony.

Nobody was able to harm Turkey’s democracy as a result of courage and heroism, she noted.

Quran was recited in the memory of July 15 martyrs at a ceremony in the Afghan capital of Kabul, which was jointly organized by Turkey’s Maarif Foundation and Anadolu Agency.

An exhibition showing Anadolu Agency’s photos on July 15 coup attempt was also opened.

Several other countries like Krygzstan, Hungary and Sweden also hosted various ceremonies to commemorate the July 15 martyrs.